Juvia wasn't the only one who would be having a difficult evening. When Princess Lucy returned to the palace, it was at the exact same moment that Zash had returned from seeking out Zeref's descendant. He hadn't had any luck locating him today but he wouldn't give up, in the meantime, he need to do whatever was possible to stall the Summer trip to the Magnolia Nation an d upon seeing the princess, he concocted the perfect diversion.

"Good evening fair princess." He greeted her in a cordial manner.

"Good evening Zash."

Her tone was polite but her eyes held suspicion. Since she first met the magician, her gutt had told her that there was something not right about him. That beneath that charismatic attitude was a dark man with a dark purpose. Therefore she would never trust him. Not to mention he could be quite the pervert around her. Always staring at her in such a vulgar way, it made her sick. If only he didn't have her father wrapped around his finger.

"Did you enjoy your trip to the oasis?" He asked her. "I'm sure bathing in its waters was quite exhilarating."

He tried to picture her without her clothes on. She sensed this, and put some distance between them.

"I'd rather not discuss it. Now I'm off to my private chambers."

"Yes princess, you should get plenty of rest for the next few days. The upcoming trip will be very exhausting."

"Trip?" Lucy replied. "What trip?"

"Oh did his majesty not tell you? He has arranged for you to marry the prince of the Vendershav Kingdom."

She looked at him surprised and almost horrified.

"What?"

"Yes, it's to be a political alliance. Your father fears that some day the Tiānkōng Empire maybe be a threat to the Lazan City. A union with the Vendershav Kingdom would prevent that."

"And he just decided on this without telling me?"

"It would appear so."

"I don't believe this! Father has always been overbearing but he'd never force me to marry."

"He is the sultan and you are the princess. Your happiness is of little concern to him and the city."

"Where is my father? I must speak with him now!"

"He is currently in his study writing to the court of Vendershav and he ordered that he not be disturbed. I insist that you obey his command."

Lucy gave him an infuriated glare then ran off to her chambers. She could not recall a time when she was so angry. Her father was actually going to force her to marry some feeble-headed prince against her will. Wasn't it bad enough that he didn't let her make any choices about anything else? Now he had to control who she would spend her life with.

"A princess must do this! A princess must say that! A princess must marry a total stranger!

It's absurd!" She ranted to her maids. "I can already see him now, my groom to be! Ugly as a toad, mean as an old goat, greedy as a wild pig! The most prideful and arrogant male on the earth!"

"Please calm down your highness." Aries said.

"I don't want to calm down! I don't want to be forced into a wedding! I refuse! I won't give up my freedom!"

"No way says you have to." Aquarius said. "Just speak to the sultan about it in the morning."

"What's the point? We all know how it will end. I'm just wasting my breath."

"Maybe this prince won't be as bad as all the others." Aries said. "I've heard many trade merchants say that he is kind and intelligent, a wonderful dancer, and very handsome. You might like him."

"I might hate him and if I do, I'll still have to marry him. I don't know if I can take this anymore."

"What does that mean?" Aquarius asked.

But Lucy didn't answer. Right now she felt completely trapped. From her point of view, her father was about to do something that would make her life miserable. She needed a way out of this. She had tried to talking to the sultan, she had tried to reason with him, but he never listened. Which meant there was only another means of escape. Only one thing she could think of that would ensure her freedom and her happiness. She had to leave the palace.

"Aquarius, Aries, leave me." She ordered.

"Yes my lady." They both replied before exiting her private chambers.

Now alone, she quickly packed a satchel with some money and a few other things that would prove useful to her in the future. She then dressed out of her fine and regal evening garments, replacing them with a shawl and common clothes that peasants typically wore. She gazed upon herself in her mirror and saw that she no longer resembled a princess but instead a common peasant girl, which was what she was going for. She couldn't have anyone recognizing her.

After that she patiently waited for the palace to become dark and quiet as everyone, including her father drifted off to sleep. Then she grabbed her satchel of supplies and quietly slipped out of her bedchamber, into the palace gardens, and toward the walls. For a moment she stopped, feeling a little hesitant to go through with this. She knew that it was risky. After all, she had never been beyond the palace walls before. Never before had she gone deep into the city of Lazan. Not since her mother's passing, and never on her own. She was a little frightened by it.

However she believed that if she stayed here a moment loger then she would never be happy or be able to live her own life. She wanted explore the wide open world for herself and find true love. Not remain trapped here until she was forcibly entered a loveless marriage. Though it was awful to leave her father and her handmaidens behind, she felt that she had no other choice.

"Forgive me Father." She whispered, taking one last look at the palace. "I do love you but I can't stay here anymore. I've tried to be happy with this life and with my your laws but, this arranged marriage is the last straw. If I can't even control who I marry then I basically have no life of my own. I don't see any other way for me to be independent."

She finally proceeded to climb up the garden tree and carefully go over the wall, hurrying off into the night without anyone noticing. Lucy wasn't sure what lay ahead for her now but whatever it was, she was postive that it was a thousand times better than becoming the wife of a stranger who could possibly be just as dreadful as Prince Dan, or worse.

Since that day at the fortune teller's tent, Natsu's luck had really changed for the better. After learning how to use the ring to produce and control fire, he put together a little act in the street where fireworks flew from his finger tips and he could bend them into remarkable shapes like camels or peacocks or monkeys or any other creature. Peasants would stop and watch him with oo's and aww's, tossing coins for Happy to collect. This led to the two of them eating a lot more and gaining more weight. But the good kind of gaining weight. The kind of weight a person needed to gain.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." He told the crowd clapping for him, during his act that night. "Hey you're a wonderful audience, and now for my grand finale."

He threw his hands up and flames of red exploding from his hands, filling the sky and taking the form of a mighty dragon spreading its wings. The crowds were utterly amazed. Half were cheering rapidly and half were speechless. They had never in their lives seen anything so incredible.

"How does he do that?" Many of them asked.

"Trade secret." He would always reply, then he ended his performance by throwing up a stream of colorful fireworks that would rain down on the city.

"You're really raking in the dough pal." Happy said, counting up all the coins that the crowd had tossed him.

"Which means another decent breakfast for us."

"Yep. So what are you in the mood for dinner tonight?"

"Fish. I want fish."

"Why is it always fish with you? Seriously, whenever we discuss food, it's fish, fish, fish."

"I can't help it. I'm a cat, cats like fish. Maybe if you would let me eat some once and awhile, I wouldn't ask for it all the time."

"Okay, okay. Fish for dinner it is."

"Yes! Finally!"

So the two went down to the market place, up to fish vendor where Natsu purchased two salty and tasty trouts, and back to their hovel to dine on their morning meal. For a whole week, that had been their schedule. Wake up, performing for money, buying breakfast and eating it at home, give a second performance, buy and eat lunch, rest, give their last performance, buy and eat dinner, and finally go to bed. Natsu thought that he would be satisfied with this kind of life. He always believed that as long as he could provide for himself, he wouldn't need or want anything else. But even though he now had a means of income, he was still depressed.

"What's wrong buddy?" Happy asked, when he noticed that Natsu had barely touched his trout.

"Yeah I guess I'm not as hungry as I thought."

"You not hungry? That's a first. Are you getting sick or something?"

"No I just...Happy I know I should be happy with how things going, I mean with this ring, we'll probably never go hungry again. Hell, I can even cook our food with it. And if we save up our money, we can afford some new clothes and maybe even a house of our own. But I still feel like it wouldn't be enough. There's something missing from life. Something that money just can't buy."

"Like what?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe...Maybe somebody special to share my success with."

"Well you'll always have me." Happy smiled up at him.

"Thanks Happy. But that's not really what I'm talking about."

"Then what? Oh no, don't tell me you want a dog."

"A girl Happy. I want a girl."

"Oh..." Happy sighed, he hated to see his best friend down in the dumps. "Well don't worry Natsu, you'll meet somebody when you least expect it."

"Yeah right. What woman would want me? Look at where I live, look at what I wear?" He said pointing to his ragged apparel. "I can't even afford a shirt that doesn't have holes. How am I gonna keep a wife?"

"Just be patient. Things like love take time."

"Happy what do you know about love? You're a cat. You mate with the first female you find."

"For your information we cats actually have standards and we like to go slow. Well I do at least. Granted I've never even met a female, but I wouldn't breed her at first glance. That's just undignified."

Natsu chuckled at his cats words, and once again glanced out at the city. He wondered if Happy was right. If he really could win himself a good wife. A very special lady who was smart, fun, kind, being beautiful wasn't a requirement but it wouldn't hurt, most of all though, he'd like for her not to mind that he was a street rat and that she would love him for he was on the inside. But what are the odds of that happening?